Venus Optics Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift

Mistral75 · 03-28-2022, 05:17 AM - **8 Likes**

An interesting addition to the Pentax K lens line-up, the Venus Optics Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift was announced today:

Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift - LAOWA Camera Lenses

- image circle diameter: 65mm
- angle of view: 94,4° (24x36 sensor)
- maximum possible shift: +/- 11 mm with a 24x36 sensor; +/- 8 mm with a 33x44 sensor
- 16 elements, of which 2 aspherical elements and 3 element made of ED glass, in 11 groups
- 14-blade aperture
- minimum focusing distance: 25cm
- maximum magnification: 0,17x
- 360° rotatable lens hood
- filter diameter: 82mm
- max. diameter: 95mm
- length: 91mm
- weight: 747g
- available in Canon EF, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Leica L, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Pentax K and Sony E mounts
- 1,099 USD.

Last edited by Mistral75; 03-28-2022 at 07:24 AM.

**Digitalis** · 03-28-2022, 07:17 AM - **3 Likes**

Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting.

biz-engineer · 03-28-2022, 07:29 AM

Nice MTF chart, has an aperture ring, and it can be adapted from DSLR to Fuji GF mount, although 20mm on 33x44 is ~ 15.8mm wide is wide.

**Serkevan** · 03-28-2022, 07:33 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting.

Thank you for turning my usual "I should get a shift lens sometime" into more fuel for getting the DFA 21. My wallet, however, does not share the enthusiasm

(I am going to Norway soon - I figure the flare resistance of the DFA 21 will come in extremely handy)

**JensE** · 03-28-2022, 07:50 AM - **3 Likes**

Originally posted by Digitalis

Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting.

The "maximum possible shift: +/- 11 mm with a 24x36 sensor" is a lot more than the rather limited shift of the Pentax sensors, almost half a frame. Not bad for constraint spaces - real estate might be the target market (I'm doubtful that it's needed though). It's an ambitious design even for Laowa with their experience with low-distortion ultra-wide lenses: a 20mm medium format lens for high-resolution sensors with at least enough clearance for Pentax-K/Nikon-F mirrors. I'm also curious about flare resistance, which they seem to generally have struggled with.

Mistral75 · 03-28-2022, 07:54 AM - **1 Like**

Optical scheme.

MTF curves. The first one goes to the edge of the 24x36 sensor, the second one to the edge of the 65mm image circle (which is what you get when you shift the lens off centre).

**acoufap** · 03-28-2022, 08:30 AM

Very interesting - thanks for posting. The second shift lens Laowa also makes for K mount.

The other one is a 15mm (!) shift. It also works with 44x33mm sensor size …

https://www.venuslens.net/product/15mm-f-4-5-zero-d-shift/

Here‘s a review about it … Review: Laowa 15mm 4.5 Zero-D Shift - phillipreeve.net

Last edited by acoufap; 03-28-2022 at 08:49 AM.

Zygonyx · 03-28-2022, 11:22 AM - **2 Likes**

Excellent !

And Chris likes it also... but too bad ghosting for sunshine-shooters

Youtu.be

**Wheatridger** · 03-28-2022, 12:08 PM

Originally posted by Digitalis

Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting.

Composition Adjustment is a helpful and unique Pentax advantage, but it's not nearly as powerful as a shift lens. I know, I've used both.

house · 03-28-2022, 12:10 PM

Ohhhh now we're talking! I've been annoyed with Laowa for always going for to extreme focal lengths. This is much better!

The DFA21 has been coming down a bit locally and I started turning towards it. This certainly makes my choices more difficult! My main use case is architecture so the shift is incredible attractive. The Pentax 28 shift is optically not great but is generally wide enough for me so kind of works. For more casual travel type work (and just everyday family stuff) shift lenses get heavy, large and fiddly so are basically out of the question.

Tricky indeed.

Edit: just to add that sensor shift is useful but an absolutely minute shift in comparison to 11mm. With wider lenses shift makes the extreme perspective "worse". The most becautiful shift photos I've seen are with the nikkor 45. Tastes vary though so some may like the extreme look of shifted 20mm or wider lenses.

biz-engineer · 03-28-2022, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by Zygonyx

but too bad ghosting for sunshine-shooters

That's for people considering 20mm on FF as suitable FL for landscape. For landscape, provided near to far distances, 24mm - 30mm is often more appropriate (see 24-70 and 24-105 zooms with 77mm filter thread), reason why neither Tamron nor Nikon design the 15-30 / 14-24 with a filter thread, as these are designed for architecture applications.

biz-engineer · 03-28-2022, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by Wheatridger

Composition Adjustment is a helpful and unique Pentax advantage, but it's not nearly as powerful as a shift lens. I know, I've used both.

11mm shift on a 20mm is great for architecture. Pentax sensor shift also works, but limited to something like 2 to 3mm shift.

biz-engineer · 03-28-2022, 12:52 PM

By offering that lens, Laowa guys seem to understand photography pretty well.

**Digitalis** · 03-28-2022, 02:48 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Mistral75

the second one to the edge of the 65mm image circle

...and also what you get when you use the lens with shift on medium format, when MTF curves takes steep dives at the edge like that it isn't particularly good news.Though image quality does appear to recover at f/8.

Originally posted by Wheatridger

Composition Adjustment is a helpful and unique Pentax advantage, but it's not nearly as powerful as a shift lens. I know, I've used both.

yes,there is a limited degree of motion with composition adjustments but it is better than a fixed imaging plane. I work with large format cameras, rise/fall and swing on the front standard have applications but are pretty limited on their own.

Originally posted by house

With wider lenses shift makes the extreme perspective "worse". The most becautiful shift photos I've seen are with the nikkor 45.

i'm inclined to agree, having seen the work of photographers using the Canon EF TS-E 17mm and 24mm lenses - perspective may be shifted and look correct but linear distortion coupled with perspective distortion still has a visually unsettling effect. The Canon TS-E 24mm and PC-Nikkor 19mm are popular choices for medium format digital photographers.

HawaiianOnline · 03-28-2022, 03:57 PM

Now this is very interesting to me. I have the Rokinon 24mm T/S and I really like it. A 21mm shift lens would be a nice addition. I wonder if they'll make another lens in the 30-35mm focal length? I've used the sensor shift with my 31mm Limited, and I like the results with that. Having a dedicated shift lens around the same focal length would be nice too.

03-28-2022, 05:17 AM - 8 Likes	#1
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527	Venus Optics Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift An interesting addition to the Pentax K lens line-up, the Venus Optics Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift was announced today: Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift - LAOWA Camera Lenses - image circle diameter: 65mm - angle of view: 94,4° (24x36 sensor) - maximum possible shift: +/- 11 mm with a 24x36 sensor; +/- 8 mm with a 33x44 sensor - 16 elements, of which 2 aspherical elements and 3 element made of ED glass, in 11 groups - 14-blade aperture - minimum focusing distance: 25cm - maximum magnification: 0,17x - 360° rotatable lens hood - filter diameter: 82mm - max. diameter: 95mm - length: 91mm - weight: 747g - available in Canon EF, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Leica L, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Pentax K and Sony E mounts - 1,099 USD. Last edited by Mistral75; 03-28-2022 at 07:24 AM.

03-28-2022, 12:10 PM	#10
house Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,306	Ohhhh now we're talking! I've been annoyed with Laowa for always going for to extreme focal lengths. This is much better! The DFA21 has been coming down a bit locally and I started turning towards it. This certainly makes my choices more difficult! My main use case is architecture so the shift is incredible attractive. The Pentax 28 shift is optically not great but is generally wide enough for me so kind of works. For more casual travel type work (and just everyday family stuff) shift lenses get heavy, large and fiddly so are basically out of the question. Tricky indeed. Edit: just to add that sensor shift is useful but an absolutely minute shift in comparison to 11mm. With wider lenses shift makes the extreme perspective "worse". The most becautiful shift photos I've seen are with the nikkor 45. Tastes vary though so some may like the extreme look of shifted 20mm or wider lenses. Last edited by house; 03-28-2022 at 12:16 PM.

03-28-2022, 02:48 PM - 2 Likes	#14
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	Originally posted by Mistral75 the second one to the edge of the 65mm image circle ...and also what you get when you use the lens with shift on medium format, when MTF curves takes steep dives at the edge like that it isn't particularly good news.Though image quality does appear to recover at f/8. Originally posted by Wheatridger Composition Adjustment is a helpful and unique Pentax advantage, but it's not nearly as powerful as a shift lens. I know, I've used both. yes,there is a limited degree of motion with composition adjustments but it is better than a fixed imaging plane. I work with large format cameras, rise/fall and swing on the front standard have applications but are pretty limited on their own. Originally posted by house With wider lenses shift makes the extreme perspective "worse". The most becautiful shift photos I've seen are with the nikkor 45. i'm inclined to agree, having seen the work of photographers using the Canon EF TS-E 17mm and 24mm lenses - perspective may be shifted and look correct but linear distortion coupled with perspective distortion still has a visually unsettling effect. The Canon TS-E 24mm and PC-Nikkor 19mm are popular choices for medium format digital photographers. Last edited by Digitalis; 03-28-2022 at 03:23 PM.

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03-28-2022, 07:17 AM - 3 Likes	#2
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting.

03-28-2022, 07:29 AM	#3
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,239	Nice MTF chart, has an aperture ring, and it can be adapted from DSLR to Fuji GF mount, although 20mm on 33x44 is ~ 15.8mm wide is wide.

03-28-2022, 07:33 AM	#4
Serkevan Site Supporter Join Date: May 2019 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,976	Originally posted by Digitalis Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting. Thank you for turning my usual "I should get a shift lens sometime" into more fuel for getting the DFA 21. My wallet, however, does not share the enthusiasm (I am going to Norway soon - I figure the flare resistance of the DFA 21 will come in extremely handy)

03-28-2022, 07:50 AM - 3 Likes	#5
JensE Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Leipzig Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,971	Originally posted by Digitalis Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting. The "maximum possible shift: +/- 11 mm with a 24x36 sensor" is a lot more than the rather limited shift of the Pentax sensors, almost half a frame. Not bad for constraint spaces - real estate might be the target market (I'm doubtful that it's needed though). It's an ambitious design even for Laowa with their experience with low-distortion ultra-wide lenses: a 20mm medium format lens for high-resolution sensors with at least enough clearance for Pentax-K/Nikon-F mirrors. I'm also curious about flare resistance, which they seem to generally have struggled with.

03-28-2022, 07:54 AM - 1 Like	#6
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527 Original Poster	Optical scheme. MTF curves. The first one goes to the edge of the 24x36 sensor, the second one to the edge of the 65mm image circle (which is what you get when you shift the lens off centre).

03-28-2022, 08:30 AM	#7
acoufap Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Munich, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,190	Very interesting - thanks for posting. The second shift lens Laowa also makes for K mount. The other one is a 15mm (!) shift. It also works with 44x33mm sensor size … https://www.venuslens.net/product/15mm-f-4-5-zero-d-shift/ Here‘s a review about it … Review: Laowa 15mm 4.5 Zero-D Shift - phillipreeve.net Last edited by acoufap; 03-28-2022 at 08:49 AM.

03-28-2022, 12:08 PM	#9
Wheatridger Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Colorado Front Range Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 644	Originally posted by Digitalis Interesting, we now have seen a 21mm from IRIX and now this.. nice to see some variety in lenses for K mount however, Pentax DSLRs have compositional adjustments which are just as effective as optical shift and are an inherent advantage of IBIS systems. I have used compositional adjustment with the DFA21 with only a marginal increase in observable vignetting. Composition Adjustment is a helpful and unique Pentax advantage, but it's not nearly as powerful as a shift lens. I know, I've used both.

03-28-2022, 12:47 PM	#11
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,239	Originally posted by Zygonyx but too bad ghosting for sunshine-shooters That's for people considering 20mm on FF as suitable FL for landscape. For landscape, provided near to far distances, 24mm - 30mm is often more appropriate (see 24-70 and 24-105 zooms with 77mm filter thread), reason why neither Tamron nor Nikon design the 15-30 / 14-24 with a filter thread, as these are designed for architecture applications.

03-28-2022, 12:49 PM	#12
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,239	Originally posted by Wheatridger Composition Adjustment is a helpful and unique Pentax advantage, but it's not nearly as powerful as a shift lens. I know, I've used both. 11mm shift on a 20mm is great for architecture. Pentax sensor shift also works, but limited to something like 2 to 3mm shift.

03-28-2022, 12:52 PM	#13
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,239	By offering that lens, Laowa guys seem to understand photography pretty well.

03-28-2022, 03:57 PM	#15
HawaiianOnline Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hawaii Posts: 613	Now this is very interesting to me. I have the Rokinon 24mm T/S and I really like it. A 21mm shift lens would be a nice addition. I wonder if they'll make another lens in the 30-35mm focal length? I've used the sensor shift with my 31mm Limited, and I like the results with that. Having a dedicated shift lens around the same focal length would be nice too.